About

ITS Training Services provides learning opportunities on many of the technology applications and tools that affect our work and lives at Penn State. The goal of this group is to facilitate teaching and learning with technology to enhance the productivity and efficiency of Penn State's work force, as well as to provide professional and personal development opportunities to Penn State students, faculty, and staff.

Get to know ITS Training Services by watching this three-minute movie.

Meet the Members of ITS Training Services

Chris Lucas, M.Ed., Director Chris joined ITS Training Services in 2002 as a technology trainer before moving into an Instructional Designer position focusing on designing and developing instructor-led and Web-based training on Penn State's administrative systems. He later became the assistant director, managing eight staff members, serving as the unit's project manager, and overseeing new training and instructional design initiatives. In 2009, Chris became the director of ITS Training Services. He has over 9 years of experience in instructional design and training.Read more about Chris...

Alan Klein, B.A., IT Training Specialist Alan is a 1994 Graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology in Professional Photographic Illustration. He also completed the Web Masters Certificate from the Penn State World Campus. Alan currently provides training on a wide variety of topics including many of the Adobe products, Word 2007, Course Collaboration, and Web 2.0 tools. Read more about Alan...

Brett Bixler, PhD, Lead Instructional Designer Brett has over 25 years of experience in the instructional design field. In his current position Brett is working with the latest educational technologies and learning theories to produce learner-centered active and collaborative learning environments. He works with peers from across Penn State and other universities to discuss common issues and provide advice and guidance on a wide range of issues. Brett is actively investigating the use of games, simulations, and virtual worlds for educational purposes. He created the Educational Gaming Commons to support collaboration and initiatives in these areas throughout Penn State. Visit Brett's online portfolio.

Dawn Van Bramer, IT Training Specialist Dawn has been a technology trainer with ITS Training Services since January 2006. She has over 13 years of experience in the creation and delivery of training. In her current position, she develops and provides training on Administrative Information Services to Penn State staff and faculty. She currently instructs workshops on the Penn State Data Warehouse and the Enterprise Information System (EIS).

Glenna Emel, M.Ed., Instructional Designer Glenna began in ITS Training Services as a technology trainer in March 2006. She has since moved into an Instructional Designer position, responsible for content related specifically to Administrative Information Services systems. She has over 13 years of experience in the education and training field. Read more about Glenna...

Heather Huntsinger, IT Training Specialist Heather has been a technology trainer with ITS Training Services since 2004. She has a background in education. Heather provides training for staff, faculty, and students on various database technologies such as Microsoft Access, FileMaker Pro, and SQL. She also instructs training workshops on a variety of other applications including Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel.

Heather Ormsby, B.S., Training Coordinator Heather began working for ITS Training Services in July 2006. As the training coordinator, she is responsible for developing, planning, coordinating, implementing, and scheduling various training programs for the unit. She is also responsible for contributing to the coordination of conferences and symposiums with other units.

James Salvaggio, IT Training Specialist Jim graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. In 2004 Jim started working in Information Technology Services (ITS) at Penn State and is now an IT Training Specialist in ITS Training Services. He specializes in Communication and Collaboration Technologies, including VoIP, Adobe Connect, Oracle Calendar, Videoconferencing and Microsoft Outlook.

Ken Layng, B.S., CCNP Ken's primary role is to provide for the training and development needs of IT staff and their users. In this capacity, he coordinates community training events, resources, and vendor training initiatives, and offers face-to-face training for IT staff and the users they support. He has been with ITS Training Services since 2004.

Lisa Urban, B.S., IT Trainer Lisa began as a Technology Trainer with ITS Training Services in January 2012. In her previous position, Lisa worked as a Distance Learning Liaison for TIU Community Education Services in Lewistown, PA, where she was responsible for the overall coordination and delivery of a specialized asynchronous e-learning program providing employment related soft skill instruction. Lisa has over 8 years of experience in the development of classroom and online instruction and technologies. She currently instructs workshops on the University Collaboration Suite (UCS).

Nikke Moore, B.A., IT Training Specialist Nikke joined ITS Training Services in March 2011. She is responsible for the development and delivery of Microsoft Access and financial training. In her previous position, she worked as an Education Program Assistant with the Human Resource Development Center and as an Instructor with YTI Career Institute in Altoona, PA. Nikke is a certified Microsoft Office Specialist in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook. She graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in 2007 and is currently taking master's level courses in Instructional Systems.

Patty Nordstrom, Instructional Designer Patty joined ITS Training Services in April 2010 and will be contributing to assessment and instructional design for the unit. Previously, she served as the Web and Technology Unit manager of the Survey Research Center at Penn State and project manager in the Dairy and Animal Science Department at Penn State overseeing Pennsylvania Department of Agricultural research projects. She holds a B.S. in Agronomy, M.Ed. in Agricultural and Extension Education, and is a doctoral candidate in Instructional Systems at Penn State. Read more about Patty...

Tara Caimi, MFA, Marketing & Communications Tara joined the Teaching and Learning with Technology unit in 2002 and has worked in a variety of marketing and communication roles within the unit. She currently designs, coordinates, and implements the communication efforts for ITS Training Services, planning communication strategies, managing website content, creating and producing promotional and informational materials, designing efficiency processes, and working with other units on collaborative communication efforts.